1) Armenia is a former Soviet republic with a geographical situation problematic.
It is close to Europe but too far east to be considered European. It is close to Asia but too far west to be considered Asian. It is close to the Middle East too far north to consider it a country of the region.
The one that could be a privileged location has been but focus of constant problems. Its territory has been conquered successively and alternately by Assyrians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Mongols, Turks and Russians.
2) Armenia has always had problems with its neighbors. Not in vain are countries that will not become famous for what is peaceful. Iran (to the south), Turkey (to the west), Georgia (to the north) and Azerbaijan (to the east) are its neighbors.
How complicated will be its international relations that one of the neighbors with the best is Iran.
3) Armenia is one of the countries with migrants in the world. It is estimated that 8 million Armenians live outside the country, for only 3.2 million who remain in it. This paradoxical situation causes strange situations: when the economy improves a little, there is an inverse migratory flow and the population increases exaggeratedly. When things turn black, people disappear leaving the country below minimums.
There are Armenians everywhere, but especially in Russia, France, Iran and the United States.
4) The tension between Azerbaijan and Armenia, though little known, is one of the largest today. When the Soviet Union was crumbling, a region within Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh got its status as an autonomous Russian republic. With the dismantling of all the republics, Azerbaijan fought to avoid this emancipation. It was then the Armenians who mediated in favor of those of Nagorno-Karabakh, largely of Armenian origin. The Azerbaijanis counterattacked with a railroad and air blockade towards Armenia.
Armenia, without communications by train with Russia through Azerbaijan, remained in a ruinous isolation. This provoked a war in 1994, which ended by mediating Russia with the annexation / independence of Nagorno-Karabakh on the part of Armenia, forming an enclave of uncertain international legal status that is all a powder keg.
As wars do not earn anyone, the economic situation of Armenia has deteriorated terribly and now lives in a state of economic semi-isolation. Worse still have those of Nagorno-Karabakh that can not leave the country by land, except for the corridor enabled until Armenia, by the Azerbaijani pressure.
5) Armenia is one of the greatest Soviet chess heirs of the tradition. They are the current champions of the Chess Olympiad (held in 2006) ahead of all the former republics, China and the United States. Many major chess tournaments are held in his capital, Yerevan.
6) Tensions with Turkey are almost worse than with Azerbaijan – if possible. During World War I Turkey annihilated much of the Armenian population (1.5 million people in a country that currently has 3.2 million inhabitants). This unacknowledged genocide is constantly highlighted by the Armenians. For many centuries Armenia has been a dependent territory of the Turkish Empire.
7) Armenia, despite being where it is, is a Christian (not Catholic) country. In fact it is the oldest country in the world whose official religion is Christian. Armenians are Christians since the year 301 , before the Italians themselves.
8) The symbol of Armenia is the Mount Ararat . However, Mount Ararat belongs to Turkey, something that did not happen in the past. With its 5,137 meters it can be perfectly seen from the capital Yerevan, but it does not belong to them.
9) Andre Agassi is Armenian family. There are few pure strain Armenians are truly famous (perhaps the most classical music composer Aram Khachaturian ) but the Armenians are satisfied with the family outside Armenia to consider them as their own.
Thus point as Armenians Alain Prost, Cher, Seymour Skinner (yes, the Simpsons), Kasparov (born in Azerbaijan). Even Diana of Wales has 1/64 of Armenian blood!
10) If the typical Spanish surnames ending in ez (Lopez Gonzalez Martinez, Estebanez, …) Armenian surnames end in -ian . For example the tennis player Nabaldian has Armenian surname. In fact almost all surnames end well, as shown: The Armenian team won the Chess Olympiad 2006 : Sargissian, Aronian, Asrian, Akopian, Lputyan and Minasian.